Paris Couture Week always delivers fantasy, but at Chanel, Matthieu Blazy reminded us today that the best fairy tales begin with real women.
For his sophomore Haute Couture collection as Artistic Director of Fashion Activities, Blazy presented “Gaby and the Beanstalk,” an enchanting collection that blurred the lines between folklore and functionality, transforming the Grand Palais salon into an overgrown landscape of poisonous vines, wild flowers and hidden secrets.
Rather than treating couture as an untouchable fantasy, Blazy looked to Gabrielle Chanel, borrowing inspiration from a small volume of fairy tales called Les Fées, Contes des Conte he discovered in her apartment library. A literary spark became the foundation for a collection that explored storytelling not just through clothing, but within it.
The opening look immediately established the mood with a classic Chanel suit rendered in delicate guipure lace that evoked magical beanstalks, layered with sheer silk mousseline, carried alongside the very book that inspired the collection.
Garments unfolded like chapters in a storybook. Shoes climbed with embroidered vines, minaudières transformed into sleeping bears, while buttons evolved from ducklings into graceful swans. Even more compelling were the hidden narratives stitched inside each garment, painted silk linings, handwritten notes tucked into pockets, charms suspended from Chanel’s signature weighted chains and tiny keepsakes.
The most intimate stories, belong to the wearer alone, becoming one of the collection’s defining themes. Haute Couture has always been about the relationship between artisan and client, but Blazy elevated that dialogue, celebrating the unseen craftsmanship that exists beneath every immaculate exterior.
Clothes as living objects with memories, secrets and personalities.
The collection of course reaffirmed Chanel’s extraordinary ateliers. Elegant tailoring sat comfortably beside fluid draping, while embroidery, weaving, appliqué and pleating accumulated throughout the collection like treasured objects collected over a lifetime. Everyday items were elevated through couture techniques, reinforcing Blazy’s belief that luxury doesn’t need to distance itself from reality.
Silhouettes also reflected movement rather than museum-like perfection. Jackets appeared slashed and reconfigured to better follow the body, hems shifted unexpectedly and proportions embraced a deliberate sense of imperfection. It was a subtle but important evolution of Chanel’s couture vocabulary, suggesting garments intended to be lived in rather than simply admired.
References to Goldilocks, enchanted forests and magical creatures offered visual delight, the underlying message remained grounded in Chanel’s enduring philosophy of freedom, practicality and self-determination.
At a moment when many luxury houses continue to chase spectacle, Blazy’s Chanel once again found something arguably more compelling: quiet wonder. Instead of asking couture to transport women away from their everyday lives, he proposed that extraordinary craftsmanship can illuminate the everyday itself.
